Justification Study for the Development of a Specification for a sustainability management system for events

Transcription

1 Justification Study for the Development of a Specification for a sustainability management system for events 1. Introduction Following the publication of ISO Guide 72:2001 Guidelines for the justification and development of management systems standards, ISO now requires that proposals for new management system standards (MSS), or proposals for amendments/revisions to existing MSS, should be accepted through the justification process given in ISO Guide 72. This paper presents a Justification Study for developing a specification for a sustainability management system for events, in accordance with the ISO Guide 72 justification process. ISO Guide 72 recommends that a Justification Study should be based on annex C of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1, 2001, and the general principles stated in ISO Guide 72, clause 5. Additionally, ISO Guide 72, annex A, lists a set of questions that have been developed from annex C of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1, and from the principles in ISO Guide 72 clause 5. ISO Guide 72 recommends that these questions should be used as the criteria for justifying and assessing a proposed MSS project. This Justification Study follows these recommendations. The principles given in ISO Guide 72, clause 5, are as follows: Market relevance Compatibility Ease of use Topic coverage Flexibility Technically sound basis Easily understood Free trade Applicability of conformity Exclusions Any MSS should meet the needs of, and add value for, the primary users and other affected parties. Compatibility between various MSSs and within an MSS family should be maintained. It should be ensured that the user can easily implement one or more MSS. An MSS should have sufficient application coverage to eliminate or minimize the need for sector-specific variances. An MSS should be applicable to organizations in all relevant sectors and cultures and of every size. An MSS should not prevent organizations from competitively adding to or differentiating from others, or enhancing their management systems beyond the standard. An MSS should be based on proven management practices or existing scientifically validated and relevant data. An MSS should be easily understood, unambiguous, free from cultural bias, easily translatable, and applicable to businesses in general. An MSS should permit the free trade of goods and services in line with the principles included in the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade. The market need for first-, second- or third-party conformity assessment, or any assessment combination thereof, should be assessed. The resulting MSS should clearly address the suitability of use for conformity assessment in its scope. An MSS should facilitate joint audits. An MSS should not include directly related product (including services) specifications, test methods, performance levels (i.e. setting of limits) or other forms of standardization for products produced by the implementing organization. The approach taken in preparing this Justification Study has been to address each of the questions in turn and make reference to the relevant principles that the answers deal with. Note that the Annex A questions are given within a grey-shaded background, with the answers following, outside of the shading. Section 2 presents the "Basic information" required by the initial Annex A questions. All the Annex A questions have been addressed. 2. Basic information ISO Guide 72, Annex A;

2 A.2.1 Basic information on the MSS proposal A.2.1a) What is the proposed purpose and scope of the MSS? Standardization in the field of sustainability in event management, with the aim to: Establish, implement, maintain and improve a sustainability management system for events; This standard: - will enable those involved in event management to minimise and manage environmental, financial and social impacts linked to venue selection, operating procedures, supply chain management, procurement, employment, communications, transport and end of life issues linked to post event management. - can be used by any organization or individual involved in the management of events Client, supplier, or event manager and will be applicable to any type of event (e.g. exhibition, sporting event, public concert). - will enable industry to publicly demonstrate its commitment to sustainability and assist those companies who are not yet up to speed with a system to develop their capability; - will enable self assurance of conformity with its stated sustainability policy; - will allow demonstration of conformity. Sustainability is racing up the agenda within government and business; standardization will enable one sector to meet that challenge. Many corporations now include sustainability as part of their corporate (social) responsibility policies. Increasingly, this includes a requirement for suppliers to demonstrate their sustainability credentials. In addition, addressing climate change is becoming a high priority. The use of a standard such as this should substantially reduce carbon emissions and waste and will improve the resource efficiency of the entire event supply chain. The standard will provide an opportunity for more efficient planning and encourage the re-use of equipment and infrastructure. The standard will help the industry to publicly demonstrate its commitment to sustainability and assist those companies who are not yet up to speed with a system to develop their capability. It will provide a definition of sustainable development for the events industry and a useable benchmarking tool. More efficient data management and reporting should lead to greater visibility and ultimately greater transparency within the events industry. The standard will assist those involved in event management to minimise and manage environmental, financial and social impacts linked to venue selection, operating procedures, supply chain management, procurement, employment, communications, transport and end of life issues linked to post event management. It can be used by any organization or individual involved in the management of events client, supplier, or event manager and will be applicable to any type of event (eg exhibition, sporting event, public concert). The standard will be a requirements standard that will encourage more sustainable events and provide guidance on meeting the requirements. Not only will the standard be aimed across the sector but at any organization or event that wishes to: Establish, implement, maintain and improve a sustainability management system for events; Assure itself of conformity with its stated sustainability policy;

3 Demonstrate conformity with this standard. In addition to be being applicable to organizations in the events industry this standard will be applicable to clients (i.e. those responsible for commissioning an event). The standard will be capable of addressing the management of improved sustainability throughout the entire event life cycle from conception and planning through to implementation and final review. The event management industry has huge environmental, social and economic (sustainability) impacts across the world. Currently there is no international standard in existence that provides requirements for and guidance on how the events industry can minimise and address these impacts. There are many examples of poor performance including the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002 produced 32,259 tonnes of waste. The global event management industry is very difficult to size. However there is clearly a growing market size. There are various different types of event that need to be considered and a management system could be applied to all. Business to business sales and marketing events Conferences paid for events Sports events amateur, professional, regional or global competitions Festivals music/art Concerts music events Each one of the above are temporary in nature and usually have a small number of people involved during the planning stage and then as the event draws closer the impact on staff, environment, economics of the organization and those impacted by the event start to increase. Once the event is concluded the breakdown is very quick. What a management system will bring to the industry is a structure and a requirement for process to consider the various key parts of sustainability. The unique nature of the events sector and the increasing profile of sustainability require an innovative and flexible approach to management systems based on delivery and outcomes. The relatively temporary diversion of resources to deliver an event can be massively outweighed by the long-term gains from a sustainable legacy if the right framework is put in place. A sustainability management system for the events sector therefore needs to reinforce the link between strategy and action. Therefore this standard needs to go beyond ISO This standard will be a first because it has been specifically designed with the events sector in mind and crucially in one standard goes beyond other conventional schemes. For example, it explicitly requires the identification and evaluation of sustainable development issues (i.e. not limited to just environment, or health and safety, etc), stakeholders to be identified and engaged, evaluation of performance against sustainable development principles, and the inclusion of the supply chain in delivering on objectives and targets. By using this standard the events industry will experience environmental, social and economical improvements.

4 - Topic coverage - Flexibility - Applicability of conformity - Easily understood A.2.1b) Would the proposed MSS work item result in an International Standard (IS), an ISO(/IEC) Guide, a Technical Specification (TS), a Technical Report (TR), a Publicly Available Specification (PAS), or an International Workshop Agreement (IWA)? International Standard. A.2.1c) Does the proposed purpose or scope include product (including service) specifications, product test methods, product performance levels, or other forms of guidance or requirements directly related to products produced or provided by the implementing organization? No - Exclusions A.2.1d) Is there one or more existing ISO technical committee or non-iso organization that could logically have responsibility for the proposed MSS? If so, identify. No, a new Project Committee should be established. This is because the standard will be dealing with all three elements of sustainability: environmental, social and environmental and focusing on a specific industry. The unique nature of the events sector and the increasing profile of sustainability require an innovative and flexible approach to management systems based on delivery and outcomes. The relatively temporary diversion of resources to deliver an event can be massively outweighed by the long-term gains from a sustainable legacy if the right framework is put in place. A sustainability management system for the events sector therefore needs to reinforce the link between strategy and action. Therefore this standard needs to go beyond ISO (as developed by ISO/TC 207/SC1). This standard will be a first because it has been specifically designed with the events sector in mind and crucially in one standard goes beyond other conventional schemes.

5 For example, it explicitly requires the identification and evaluation of sustainable development issues (i.e. not limited to just environment, or health and safety, etc), stakeholders to be identified and engaged, evaluation of performance against sustainable development principles, and the inclusion of the supply chain in delivering on objectives and targets. Liaison with other ISO Technical structures will need to be established, including ISO/TC207; ISO/TMB/WG SR and the JTCG. A.2.1e) Have relevant reference materials been identified, such as existing guidelines or established practices? Yes, the following relevant reference materials have been identified: ISO (in development) Guidance on social responsibility ISO 14001: Environmental management systems Requirements with guidance for use BS 8901: Specification for a sustainability management system for events BS 8900:2006 Guidance on managing sustainable development Live Earth Green Event Guidelines LOCOG 2012 Event Guidelines Towards a one planet 2012 GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) are intending to develop a reporting document which is being aligned with BS 8901 as there is increasing interest and demand for justification of large scale events. SEXI The sustainable Exhibition project Green Meeting Industry Council - GMIC: The future is Green Report Convention Industry Council s Green Meeting Report Environmental guidelines Sydney Olympic Park Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Sustainable events guide Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada Green Planner Checklist A.2.1f) Are there technical experts available to support the standardization work? Are the technical experts direct representatives of the affected parties from the different geographical regions? The interest in and knowledge of the sustainability impacts of events is high in a large variety of different geographical regions and among the affected parties. To date interest has been flagged from USA, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Denmark, Switzerland, Spain, Poland and Italy. There are interested experts available to participate from all around the world. A.2.1g) What efforts are anticipated as being necessary to develop the document in terms of experts needed and number/duration of meetings? The Project Committee will need to engage a wide range of stakeholders as the standard will be dealing not only with events management but also all the three pillars of sustainability social, environmental and economic. It is therefore important that there are experts both from the sustainability sector and the events industry. It is anticipated that there will be a large number of experts interested in participating in this project. It is anticipated that the project will need three meetings per year for up to 30 months.

6 A.2.1h) What is the anticipated completion date? End Q A.2.2 Affected parties A.2.2 a) Have all the affected parties been identified? For example: 1) organizations (of various types and sizes): the decision-makers within an organization who approve work to implement and achieve conformance to the MSS; 2) customers/end-users, i.e. individuals or parties that pay for or use a product (including service) from an organization; 3) Supplier organizations, e.g. producer, distributor, retailer or vendor of a product, or a provider of a service or information; 4) MSS service provider, e.g. MSS certification bodies, accreditation bodies or consultants; 5) regulatory bodies; 6) non-governmental organizations. It has been identified that there will be a range of interest from various stakeholders. BSI British Standards has been approached by large international corporate organizations interested in using this International Standard for its events; organisers of sporting events; and organizations developing tools to support implementation - Market relevance A.2.2b) Is the MSS intended to be a guidance document, contractual specification or regulatory specification for an organization? The proposed Management System Standard will be a specification document, with guidance for use. A.2.3 Need for an MSS A.2.3. a) What is the need? Does the need exist at a local, national, regional or global level? Does the need apply to developing countries? Does it apply to developed countries? What is the added value of having an ISO document (e.g. facilitating communication between organizations in different countries)? The need for the standard is on a global level. It will apply to both developing and developed countries. It will be particularly beneficial to developing countries, as when they bid for large international events, eg Olympics and the World Cup they need to be able to compete economically as well as environmentally and socially. The standard will enable them to be on same footing as developed countries when it comes to bidding for such events.

7 As large events are often international across both developing and developed countries, an international standard would allow for a standardized approach across all parts of the event management process. The event management industry has huge environmental, social and economic (sustainability) impacts across the world. Currently there is no international standard in existence that provides requirements for and guidance on how the events industry can minimise and address these impacts. There are many examples of poor performance including the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002 produced 32,259 tonnes of waste. The global event management industry is very difficult to size. However there is clearly a growing market size. There are various different types of event that need to be considered and a management system could be applied to all. Business to business sales and marketing events Conferences paid for events Sports events amateur, professional, regional or global competitions Festivals music/art Concerts music events Each one of the above are temporary in nature and usually have a small number of people involved during the planning stage and then as the event draws closer the impact on staff, environment, economics of the organization and those impacted by the event start to increase. Once the event is concluded the breakdown is very quick. What a management system will bring to the industry is a structure and a requirement for process to consider the various key parts of sustainability. The unique nature of the events sector and the increasing profile of sustainability require an innovative and flexible approach to management systems based on delivery and outcomes. The relatively temporary diversion of resources to deliver an event can be massively outweighed by the long-term gains from a sustainable legacy if the right framework is put in place. A sustainability management system for the events sector therefore needs to reinforce the link between strategy and action. Therefore this standard needs to go beyond ISO This standard will be a first because it has been specifically designed with the events sector in mind and crucially in one standard goes beyond other conventional schemes. For example, it explicitly requires the identification and evaluation of sustainable development issues (i.e. not limited to just environment, or health and safety, etc), stakeholders to be identified and engaged, evaluation of performance against sustainable development principles, and the inclusion of the supply chain in delivering on objectives and targets. By using this standard the events industry will experience environmental, social and economical improvements. - Market relevance

8 A.2.3 b) Does the need exist for a number of sectors and is thus generic? If so, which ones? Does the need exist for small, medium or large organizations? The need is specific to the events industry, and exists for all sizes of organisation in the event industry. A.2.3 c) Is the need important? Will the need continue? If yes, will the target date of completion for the proposed MSS satisfy this need? Are viable alternatives identified? Yes, the need is important and there is international recognition that events can have massive sustainability impacts that need managing. There are various developments underway (as stated above, e.g. the GRI indicators and the ASTM measurement framework) that demonstrate the need for an international framework standard. The take up in the UK of the British Standard has been large with take up being demonstrated at venues, organizers, suppliers to events and events themselves. There have also been approaches for involvement in the work from USA, Australia and Europe. The target date for completion of the proposed MSS should satisfy this need on an international level as it must coincide with the Olympics. There are no other viable alternatives as this is an industry unfamiliar with management system standards that requires something specific to its sector. A.2.3d) Describe how the need and importance were determined. List the affected parties consulted and the major geographical or economical regions in which they are located. BSI British Standard have engaged with and been approached by the following countries with regard to the new standard: USA, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Denmark, Switzerland, Spain, Poland and Italy and will be working with ABNT on leading this project. There is general international eagerness to see a globally relevant ISO standard in this area. A.2.3e) Is there known or expected support for the proposed MSS? List those bodies that have indicated support. Is there known or expected opposition to the proposed MSS? List those bodies that have indicated opposition. Please see answer to above question. There is no known opposition to the standard. There are other initiatives underway, and we envisage that they will co-exist with the standard. A.2.4 Sector-specific MSS proposals A.2.4a) Is the MSS for a single specific sector? Yes, the events industry. A.2.4b) Will the MSS reference or incorporate an existing, non-industry-specific ISO MSS (e.g. from the ISO 9000 series of quality management standards)? If yes, will the development of the MSS conform to the ISO/IEC Sector Policy (see of ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, 2001), and any other relevant policy and guidance procedures (e.g. those that may be made available by a relevant ISO technical committee)? Yes, the standard will reference ISO A.2.4 c) What steps have been taken to remove or minimize the need for particular sectorspecific deviations from a generic MSS? There are existing management system standards that contain elements that are applicable to the subject area, but none deal with all sustainability issues.

9 - Compatibility - Ease of use A.2.5 Value of an MSS A Value to an organization implementing the MSS A.2.5.1a) What are the expected benefits and costs to organizations, differentiated for small, medium and large organizations if applicable? The standard would impact on SMEs, medium and large organizations. However, the experience from the trials and from the first year of implementation of BS 8901 the impact will be proportional to the size of event or organization involved. Benefits Minimising environmental and social impacts of event Increasing economic performance of the event Meeting customers needs Ensuring industry can evolve whilst minimising its economic and social impacts Increased competivity Increased supplier performance and commitment Benefits will outweigh upfront costs Costs Process design Process implementation System and process documentation Employee training. A.2.5.1b) Describe how the benefits and the costs were determined. Provide available information on geographic or economic focus, industry sector and size of the organization. Provide information on the sources consulted and their basis (e.g. proven practices), premises, assumptions and conditions (e.g. speculative or theoretical), and other pertinent information. Within the UK BS 8901 was trialled during the public comment period. The trials covered large brand new events, SMEs, medium and large organizations. The trial organizations were: Manchester International Festival (large new event) Earls Court and Olympia Exhibition Centre (large organization) Live Nation at Live Earth concert, London (large organization at new event) Lords Cricket Ground, London at a test match England v. New Zealand (Medium organization) Reeds Carpets (SME) Seventeen Events (SME) A.2.5.1c) Will the MSS allow an organization competitively to add to, differentiate or encourage innovation of its management system beyond the standard? Yes the proposed standard would include the requirement for the development of a maturity matrix.

10 In order for organizations to routinely track and review their progress in relation to continuously improving their event management for sustainable development capabilities and outcomes, the standard proposes that they develop a maturity matrix framework. This tool should be implemented by event industry organizations in order to establish their level of development in terms of sustainable development along a scale ranging from minimum involvement to full engagement. The practices associated with the main principles of sustainable development management such as inclusivity, integrity, stewardship and transparency are represented by characteristics/criteria appropriate to an organization at different stages of its maturity with regard to sustainable development. Organizations are advised to prepare their own maturity matrix based on the outline provided in the standard, taking into consideration the principles and practices that are relevant to them. Organizations should determine their current position in their maturity matrix, by identifying the most applicable criteria. This process will produce a maturity profile. Particular attention should then be given to areas which the organization has identified as weaknesses or potential growth areas. The matrix should be kept up to date to reflect changing circumstances. The position of the organization depicted by the matrix should be used in the review process and/or used to demonstrate their sustainable development progress to stakeholders. - Ease of use - Flexibility A.2.5.1d) If the intended use is for contractual or regulatory purposes, what are the potential methods to demonstrate conformance (e.g. first party, second party or third party)? Does the MSS enable organizations to be flexible in choosing the method of demonstrating conformance, and to accommodate for changes in its operations, management, physical locations and equipment? First, second or third party means of demonstrating conformance are possible. - Ease of use - Flexibility A.2.5.1e) If third-party registration/certification is a potential option, what are the anticipated benefits and costs to the organization? Will the MSS facilitate joint audits with other management system standards or promote parallel assessments? The MSS will be based on BS 8901, which in turn was based on the other management systems already in existence, it follows a Plan, Do, Check, Act process. It is anticipated that should an

11 organization already have a management system in place the implementation of the new standard will be simpliersimilar. However it is important to stress the following: 1. while it will be possible for 3 rd party certification to take place this is not necessary and the standard will be written to enable self-declaration. 2. there will be a challenge for certifiers as this standard will cover the broader issues of sustainability and not the environmental, quality or health & safety issues that many may be familiar with. A Value to other affected parties A a) What are the expected benefits and costs to other affected parties (including developing countries)? The events industry does not have a mechanism to measure its success in the area of sustainability. The development of an MSS in this area will enable them to establish clear criteria by which to measure the impacts of a global industry. The MSS will also allow developing countries to attract more investment and business opportunities thereby increasing their ability to generate revenue and be seen as a world player in the event market. There are developing countries who see the events industry as a key way in which they can encourage investment and raise their profile in the global stage. Implementing the MSS throughout their infant event industry will establish early and key best practice in the field of sustainability. Affected parties benefit through: the establishment of a worldwide body of knowledge the sharing of best practice the establishment of peer review and other monitoring systems to ensure that the provision of training, certification and accreditation services are of a reasonable standard and are universally applied. As stated above, the standard will allow developing countries to compete at an international level when bidding for international events. A b) Describe how the benefits and the costs were determined. Provide any information regarding the affected parties indicated. Within the UK BS 8901 was trialled during the public comment period. The trials covered large brand new events, SMEs, medium and large organizations and the feedback received helped to determine the benefits and costs. The trial organizations were: Manchester International Festival (large new event) Earls Court and Olympia Exhibition Centre (large organization) Live Nation at Live Earth concert, London (large organization at new event) Lords Cricket Ground, London at a test match England v. New Zealand (Medium organization) Reeds Carpets (SME) Seventeen Events (SME)

12 A c) What will be the expected value to society? This standard will promote the whole sustainability agenda. Therefore issues such as human rights, health and safety, environmental protection and development of local economy. Essentially, by managing events sustainably there will be a huge value to society. Relevant principles for all of A.2.5.2: - Technically sound basis A.2.6 Risk of trade barriers A.2.6 a) How would the MSS facilitate or impact global trade? Could the MSS create or prevent a technical barrier to trade? By reducing the number of different national or regional sustainability management schemes, the MSS could facilitate global trade, and remove technical barriers to trade. It will also allow developing countries to compete with developed countries at an international level when bidding for international events. A.2.6 b) Could the MSS create or prevent a technical barrier to trade for small, medium or large organizations? The standard could prevent a technical barrier to trade for any size of organisation. A.2.6 c) Could the MSS create or prevent a technical barrier to trade for developing or developed countries? The standard could prevent a technical barrier to trade for both developing and developed countries. - Free trade A.2.6 d) If the proposed MSS is intended to be used in government regulations, is it likely to add to, duplicate, replace, enhance or support existing governmental regulations? The proposed standard is not intended to be used in governmental regulations. A.2.7 Risk of incompatibility, redundancy and proliferation A.2.7 a) Is there potential overlap or conflict with other existing or planned ISO or non-iso international standards, or those at the national or regional level? Are there other public or private actions, guidance, requirements and regulations that seek to address the identified need, such as technical papers, proven practices, academic or professional studies, or any other body of knowledge? BS 8901 is the UK s national standard in this area. The Global Reporting Initiative and ASTM are producing frameworks to measure the implementation of sustainability within the event industry, but both of these standards will use BS 8901 as the management framework, so there is no danger of conflict. A.2.7 b) Is the MSS or the related conformity assessment activities (e.g. audits, certifications) likely to add to, replace all or parts of, harmonize and simplify, duplicate or repeat, conflict with, or

13 detract from the existing activities identified above? What steps are being considered to ensure compatibility, resolve conflict or avoid duplication? No. A.2.7c) Is the proposed MSS likely to promote or stem proliferation of MSSs at the national or regional level, or by industry sectors? No A.2.8 Other risk factors Have any other risks been identified (e.g. timeliness or unintended consequences to a specific business)? No